Workers Comp Fraud – California

Amount: $34,000

A former Orange County sheriff's deputy was sentenced to six months in jail with three months of probation for insurance fraud after he was caught doing CrossFit exercises while collecting compensation payments.

The former sheriff's deputy was injured on the job when he tripped over a firehose in 2015 and injured his lower back, left shoulder, and the left side of his neck. According to doctor's orders, he could not lift, push, or pull anything weighing more than 10 pounds. The defendant was reassigned to dispatch and began receiving insurance checks for workers compensation. The Sheriff's Department accommodated the work restrictions completely. Authorities claim that he failed to disclose the recuperation of his physical abilities and lied under oath about his disability. The defendant engaged in CrossFit, which is a high-impact exercise, lifting more than 200 pounds in weights, as well as doing many other exercises that contradicted the doctor's orders.

He has been charged with eleven felony counts of insurance fraud and seven felony counts of perjury under oath, facing up to sixteen years in prison.